


Truth Will Out

by hrhrionastar



Category: Legend of the Seeker
Genre: Episode: s01e16 Bloodline, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-22
Updated: 2011-11-22
Packaged: 2017-10-26 10:43:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/282134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hrhrionastar/pseuds/hrhrionastar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for legendland: <i>Powerful Magic leads to Team Awesome airing out their "dirty laundry," feelings are hurt and truths are discovered.</i> Post-<i>Bloodline</i>, Zedd and Kahlan are angry with Richard about how badly he handled the power of Orden.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Truth Will Out

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: referenced/implied rape, ie, the Denna issues.

Kahlan had been limping all day. She stubbornly strode in the lead, and Richard admired her determination while simultaneously anticipating trouble.

Sure enough, Kahlan turned her ankle on a protruding root not five minutes after the broad path into the Forest of Loral they'd been following petered out into a mere faint impression of a trail.

Zedd claimed the Forest of Loral was rarely traveled, not even by D'Harans, which was why they hadn't chosen to go around it. Richard had no idea why anyone would dislike the Forest of Loral. It was remarkably peaceful under the sheltering trees.

It was a peace Richard cherished, after everything that had happened. What he'd done when he had the power of Orden haunted him, but the trees seemed sublimely indifferent to prophecy or human conflict.

Kahlan sat on a log and yanked her left boot off, wincing at the pain.

"Dear one, let me help you," Zedd said at once, kneeling beside Kahlan.

"The way you helped your daughter?" Kahlan said waspishly, and then gasped. She covered her mouth with her hand as if to call the words back.

Zedd's expression closed, but even now, it took a moment for Richard to remember that Zedd's daughter was his birth mother, who was dead. Maybe it was because they'd never been able to speak, but Richard had a hard time thinking of Taralyn Zorander as his mother—it felt disloyal to Mary Cypher, the woman who'd raised him.

He had no such difficulty seeing Jennsen as his sister, however. He hoped she was all right, with the Boxes of Orden. It seemed wrong to demand her help hiding them, but on the other hand she was Pristinely Ungifted: Rahl's magicians would have trouble finding her.

"I'm sorry," Kahlan said quietly. "I don't know what came over me."

Zedd nodded, and it only took him a second to heal Kahlan's ankle, but the constraint remained.

Richard sat down beside Kahlan on the log while they rested. Zedd said she should keep her weight off her ankle for a little, just in case.

Zedd stood with his arms crossed, leaning against a tree.

The silence became heavy.

Richard put an arm around Kahlan's shoulder, wanting the comfort of her touch.

She stiffened.

Richard let go of her at once. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Yes," Kahlan and Zedd said together.

Zedd spoke his grievance first. "Have I taught you nothing?" he said bitterly. "When I gave you the last Box of Orden, I expected you to use the power wisely, not on some personal vendetta! You have a destiny, Richard. You must kill Darken Rahl. You could have used the Boxes of Orden to complete your quest!"

"How?" Richard protested, frowning. The Boxes of Orden were limited in range. Richard would still have had to traipse through half the Midlands and D'Hara looking for Rahl, while simultaneously trying to withstand the temptation of the Boxes. Only when Richard looked into the eyes of his nemesis would the Boxes of Orden have given him control over the greatest tyrant who had ever lived.

And Richard shuddered to think what harm he might have done with the power of Orden in the meantime if Jennsen hadn't stopped him. What good was killing Darken Rahl, if Richard took the tyrant's place?

"You told me to beat Denna to death. Slowly." Kahlan's voice was coolly impassive. "You forced me. You might have asked, you know. And then you sent her away, and didn't even let me Confess her."

"Darken Rahl will punish Denna," Richard said uncertainly.

"A Confessed Mord'Sith dies in agony," Kahlan countered. "Far worse than a simple beating. And faster."

Richard frowned. "So are you angry that I ordered you to kill Denna, or that I didn't let you kill her?"

He couldn't even think about Kahlan's words, 'you forced me.' A lead weight settled in his stomach. It had been Orden, not Richard, and yet…would he ever forget the heady power of giving commands and actually being obeyed? Would he ever forget how hurt Kahlan looked, because of him?

Kahlan rolled her eyes. One hand was still curled around her bare foot, and with the other she grasped a low-hanging branch for balance. "Yes," she said. The tiniest hint of a smile touched her lips, and Richard inhaled in relief.

He hadn't even realized he'd been holding his breath. Kahlan hurt, Kahlan miserable, Kahlan angry—he couldn't stand it.

But that smile, tiny as it was, told Richard they were going to be okay. "Both, eh? Guess I can't win," Richard grinned.

"Why _did_ you let Denna go?" Zedd broke in upon this. "If Rahl catches her, she'll tell him everything."

Richard shrugged. He couldn't bring himself to be worried about that. If Rahl knew that Richard had possessed the power of Orden, however briefly, maybe he would realize that Richard was going to fulfill the prophecy and be afraid. Or maybe he would just think Richard was an idiot, to have all that power and give it up.

"You don't…" Kahlan said hesitantly. She put her injured foot gingerly on the ground and looked down at her lap. A long lock of dark hair obscured her face. "You don't still have _feelings_ for her, do you?"

"Why would you think I have feelings for Denna?" Richard asked, honestly bewildered. A tiny voice in the back of his mind pointed out that repeating the question was an evasion, and therefore a sign of guilt, but he ignored it.

Kahlan looked up. Richard felt helpless, caught in her liquid blue glare. "I know that she—that you—that things happen with the Mord'Sith," Kahlan said. "Did you and she…when she was 'training' you," Richard heard the quote marks, "did you make love to her?"

Richard frowned. "She was trying to make me her slave," he said. He didn't want to keep talking, but something compelled him to continue. It was as though the very trees were waiting for his next words.

"I didn't want—you are the only one I ever…" Richard made a gesture begging for Kahlan's understanding. He knew that her powers prevented them from being intimate in that way, but he had to believe there was hope. Though not if she never forgave him for what had happened with Denna. "Yes," he admitted.

Kahlan looked grave, her face automatically becoming closed and remote. Her Confessor face.

Richard glanced away, embarrassed and a little hurt. He'd never wanted to betray Kahlan, but it wasn't as though Denna had given him a choice.

Zedd shuffled his feet, clearly wishing himself elsewhere.

Kahlan put her hand on Richard's knee. "Look at me," she commanded.

Richard met her eyes, expecting recriminations, but found only sympathy and strength. Kahlan was angry, but Richard didn't think it was with him.

"I would never blame you, Richard," Kahlan said. "But don't you see? I wanted to kill Denna for what she did to you. And you wouldn't let me."

"But I love _you_ , Kahlan," Richard protested. He tucked a strand of hair behind Kahlan's ear, and this time she leaned into the caress. "Denna doesn't mean anything to me—it's you, always and only you."

Kahlan smiled, but her eyes were still troubled. "Richard, think," she begged. "What would you do, if Darken Rahl had done that to me?"

Richard couldn't sit still. He stood, wrapping his fingers around the Sword of Truth. He could feel its magic surging through him, igniting his blood with fury. It was only with an effort that he refrained from drawing the Sword, but there was no one to fight here—only Zedd and Kahlan, the two people dearest to him in the world.

"I would kill him," Richard said, in a voice too hard to be his own.

If Darken Rahl ever laid so much as a finger on Kahlan—prophecy would have nothing to do with it. Richard would strangle Rahl with his bare hands.

He forced himself to let go of the Sword of Truth.

Kahlan sat smiling at him. She seemed pleased, either at having made her point or because Richard had come to her metaphorical defense.

"I'm sorry," Richard said. He didn't regret letting Denna go, not really, but there were so many things he did regret it hardly seemed to matter. He'd used the power of Orden to compel Kahlan, and he had denied her vengeance. If she forgave him, it would be more than he deserved.

Kahlan nodded, and reached for her left boot. Apparently the conversation was over.

Richard turned to his grandfather, a sudden suspicion catching hold of him. "This place is magic, isn't it?" he accused. "That's why the D'Harans avoid it."

Richard was almost sure Kahlan hadn't been going to bring up the Denna thing, not ever, and he knew he hadn't necessarily wanted to discuss it with her…although it was a bit of a relief to have everything in the open. He hated keeping anything from Kahlan.

"The forest does tend to bring out the truth in people," Zedd said calmly. "Nothing you weren't thinking anyway, I assure you."

Richard had a quest. They didn't have time for this.

"You could have said something," he complained. "Are you always going to use magic to order my life as you see fit—for my own good, I suppose?"

"My dear boy," Zedd said innocently, "what kind of grandfather would I be if I didn't?"

Richard laughed.

Kahlan stood, holding onto a tree branch and wobbling a bit.

Richard frowned, and strode over to her. He swept her into his arms and then, reluctantly, sat her back down on the log and let go of her.

He pulled off her left boot and held it upside down. As he'd suspected, a rock fell out.

Kahlan put a hand to her forehead, smiling ruefully. At least that explained why she'd turned her ankle.

Richard slid the boot gently back over Kahlan's bare foot, enjoying the simple sensual pleasure of just touching her. She gasped, and Richard knew she shared the little frisson of desire that sparked between them every time they touched.

He helped her to her feet, and this time she remained steady.

Kahlan smiled shyly up at Richard. "Thank you," she whispered.

Too soon, the moment was broken. Kahlan hooked her arm through Zedd's, and Richard heard her say, "So, the truth will out, eh? What do you really think of Richard's cooking?"

"Not bad," Zedd replied readily. "I taught him, of course. But the first time he tried to boil water…"

Richard shook his head, grinning, as Zedd embarked on a long, rambling story of Richard's childhood. It seemed like only yesterday.

But Richard had a quest to complete. Life had gotten much more complicated and dangerous since he'd accepted the name of Seeker, but he gladly suffered through it, Mord'Sith, magic forests, and all.

Something had been set right, between him and Kahlan. Inexplicably, she wasn't angry with him for using the power of Orden on her (or at least not much). Even more miraculously, the revenge she wanted on Denna was on Richard's behalf.

She thought he was worthy of so much effort. Richard was humbled and awed by Kahlan's trust in him.

He didn't deserve her.


End file.
